Maghreb Edition

Middle East countries urged to come clean about their covid19 numbersF

Posted On 18 March 2020

Number of times this article was read : 364

Cairo, March 18, 2020 – The World Health Organization urged Middle Eastern governments Wednesday to be more forthcoming with information about new coronavirus infections in order to effectively combat the global pandemic. “We can only control this disease if we have access to information that allows us to understand its dynamic in the region” Ahmed al-Mandhari, WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean director, told an online press conference from Cairo. “We have an opportunity to contain this pandemic in our region,” he added.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases have reached over 18,000 across the Middle East, with more than 1,000 deaths recorded in seven countries, mostly in Iran. Meanwhile Jean Jabbour, WHO’s Egypt director, explained how two deaths in a village in Daqahliya governorate, 150 kilometres north of Cairo in the Nile Delta, prompted Egyptian authorities to swiftly place 300 families in isolation this week.

“At the beginning when they started contracting the first cases in the village and died, (it) was (because of) a gathering in a wedding. Immediately the ministry took the measures in containing and quarantining the people inside the village, which is around 19,000 inhabitants,” Jabbour added. Comparing it to Italy, he said the village had “an Italian flavour”. Italy has become the epicentre of the pandemic in Europe, with more than 2,500 people dying from the virus.

Egypt’s health minister Hala Zayed said on Monday “cleansing procedures” were underway to prevent further infections. “Now we have more families under quarantine and measures are being so strict in that area in order to avoid the spread to other communities,” Jabbour said, without specifying the total number of people in isolation beyond the 300 families.

By AFP
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Written by The North Africa Journal

The North Africa Journal is a leading English-language publication focused on North Africa. The Journal covers primarily the Maghreb region and expands its general coverage to the Sahel, Egypt, and beyond, when events in those regions affect the broader North Africa geography. The Journal does not have any affiliation with any institution and has been independent since its founding in 1996. Our position is to always bring our best analysis of events affecting the region, and remain as neutral as humanly possible. Our coverage is not limited to one single topic, but ranges from economic and political affairs, to security, defense, social and environmental issues. We rely on our full staff analysts and editors to bring you best-in-class analysis. We also work with sister company MEA Risk LLC, to leverage the presence on the ground of a solid network of contributors and experts. Information on MEA Risk can be found at www.MEA-Risk.com.